We might have lot of plans for this New Year. Plans to accomplish something at work, plans to buy something new and so on. But do we have plans for our spiritual growth? Is this New Year going to be a year of transformation in our spiritual growth or it is going to be just another year? In order to grow spiritually in this new year, we need to recall our year past and ask ourselves, “Did we do things that pleased God or did we indulge ourselves in things that hurt Him?”, “Did we sit in His presence every new day or did we sink into the miry clay of sin?” It’s time to reassess ourselves. It’s time to find a new zeal for God, the zeal to live for Him, to witness Him and to proclaim Him.
When we don’t have a zeal for God, we can never be fruitful. In the Bible, we can see people who were zealous for God. But what if the zeal is without knowledge? It’s of no use! The people of Israel were zealous but not according to knowledge. Paul perceived the same in Romans 10:2, “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” The people of Israel were ignorant of God’s righteousness and were trying to establish their own righteousness. It’s not the kind of zeal God expects from us.
David says in Psalm 119:139, “My zeal has consumed me, Because my enemies have forgotten Your words.” It was not because that they were his enemies and not that they did things against him. But they forgot the word of God. It’s wonderful to know that David, the king of Israel held the word of God close to his heart. Not just once, the zeal of David was recorded earlier also in Psalm 69:9 where He says, “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.” No wonder, the Disciples of Christ remembered this verse when He drove dove sellers and the changers of money out of the temple of Jerusalem. It’s the kind of zeal God expects from us.
Do we have this zeal for God? Do we feel consumed when people forget His word? In this New Year, let’s make a commitment to find the zeal that holds us closer to Him and help us grow in Him every new day. May this New Year be a year of blessing for each one of us. Happy New Year!